State of emergency extended in Manitoba for what could be the final time
The Manitoba government is once again extending the state of emergency that was put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic; however, this could be the final extension.
Minister Ron Schuler made the announcement Tuesday, noting the extension will come into effect on Wednesday at 4 p.m. and will be in place for 30 days.
"We will continue to adapt and respond to the pandemic, but we need Manitobans to continue to follow the fundamentals to ensure we can move forward on the path of a post-pandemic recovery," Schuler said in a release.
In an interview with CTV News Winnipeg on Tuesday, Schuler said this could be the last extension as the state of emergency is “purely symbolic” at this point.
He added that Manitoba is in a health emergency, not a state of emergency.
“In the last 18 months we’ve basically moved what we needed to into regulation and covered it off with legislation,” the minister explained.
“So we don’t really need a state of emergency. Out of an abundance of caution, we’re going to extend it one more time, so this will be the 19th extension of a state of emergency of the original.”
Schuler noted after this extension, the discussion will begin on whether the province should just let it expire.
He said the province does not want to send the wrong message, as Manitoba is still in a health emergency, but it may no longer require the state of emergency.
“We think that we, at some point in time, are going to come out of this and we don’t really need the state of emergency right now to get there,” Schuler said.
He said he is a “little uncomfortable” that Manitoba keeps extending the state of emergency, adding that perhaps it’s time to let it expire because “it really has nothing underneath it.”
Schuler said the province will need to complete an assessment and see what the public thinks, noting they don’t want to scare anyone.
“Perhaps by extending it, people are unnecessarily alarmed,” he said.
“On the other hand, we don’t want to send the wrong message that everything is okay.”
The state of emergency was originally declared on March 20, 2020.
- With files from CTV’s Jon Hendricks and Kayla Rosen.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
DEVELOPING Live updates from the Trump hush money trial: Stormy Daniels, bookkeeper testify
Adult film star Stormy Daniels is on the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
BREAKING Sheldon Keefe out as head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Sheldon Keefe. The team made the announcement Thursday after the Original Six franchise lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Boeing 737 catches fire and skids off the runway at a Senegal airport, injuring 10 people
A Boeing 737-300 plane carrying 85 people skidded off a runway at the airport in Dakar, Senegal's capital, injuring 10 people, according to the transport minister, an airline safety group and footage from a passenger that showed the aircraft on fire.
Breast cancer screening should start at age 40, Canadian Cancer Society says
The Canadian Cancer Society says all provinces and territories should lower the starting age for breast cancer screening to 40.
Man accused of killing two children at Quebec daycare to stand trial in April 2025
The man accused of murdering two children and injuring six others after a city bus crashed into a Montreal-area daycare is scheduled to stand trial over five weeks beginning in April 2025.